OLIVIA -- A third suspect accused of striking and injuring an Olivia man with a baseball bat outside of his home one year ago has been apprehended and returned to Minnesota to face charges for the incident in Renville County.
Two other men have already been convicted and sentenced for their roles in the incident.
Alejandro Pedraza III, 20, formerly of Olivia, was transported to Olivia by federal marshals after he was arrested in Texas on an outstanding warrant from Renville County. He made his first appearance Nov. 8 in District Court in Olivia. The court set unconditional bail at $20,000 and conditional bail at $11,000. He remains in custody, reported Laurence Stratton, assistant county attorney with the Renville County Attorney's office.
Pedraza is charged with felony assault in the second degree - use of a dangerous weapon and with second- and third-degree riot for the Sept. 8, 2005, incident.
Pedraza did not appear at a hearing scheduled Nov. 18, 2005. He was believed to be in Texas, where his family had moved from Olivia. Pedraza was apprehended by authorities in Texas and served 60 days in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service prior to his transport to Olivia this month, according to Stratton.
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The complaint against Pedraza states that he and two other men, Adam Ernest Berg, 24, and Andrew Charles Berg, 20, both of Olivia, drove to an Olivia residence on the 400 block of Third Street South during the evening of Sept. 8, 2005, with intentions of getting even with someone.
According to the complaint, Pedraza and the two men drove an Oldsmobile Bravada to the scene and emerged carrying baseball bats. A group of young people there fled, and homeowner Joe Fernkes confronted the three, telling them to leave.
As he turned away from Pedraza to talk to Andrew Berg, Pedraza allegedly struck Fernkes with either a baseball bat or a wooden crutch that was also present at the site, according to the criminal complaint.
The complaint states that Fernkes was struck at least four times by the object. He was struck again by the Bravada as the three defendants fled the scene. Fernkes said he was tossed on to the windshield of the car by the impact.
Fernkes suffered a fractured left leg and broken ribs, and he required stitches to his head and forehead. The incident led the victim to put the family's home up for sale and to move.
In an interview earlier this year with the Tribune, Fernkes said he had been a victim of previous threats while living in Olivia. He expressed frustration that the alleged perpetrators had not been punished. "People don't believe these things happen in a small town,'' he told the Tribune. "It's just that they don't know about it.''
Both Andrew Berg and Adam Berg pleaded guilty to riot charges for the incident and were sentenced to serve up to five years of probation. Each also served 60 days in jail for their roles in the incident, according to the assistant county attorney.
The charge of assault in the second degree against Pedraza carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison and a $14,000 fine.
